John dubois



'useful Improvement piles are left extending' ot' the water,

n UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN DU BOIS, OF VILLIAMSPOH'I,' PENNSYLVANIA.

:MPROVEMENT 1N MODE' o-F BUILDING Pleas FoRBRl'ucEs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 36,512, dated Septeml-er 21, 13H72.-

lamsport, inthe county of Lycomi ng and Stat e ot"Pennsylvania, have invented a new and in Building Piers for Bridges and-other Structures and Setting,r the Same; and I do hereby declare that the following is a i'ull,clear, and exact description thereot', reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specilication, in whichi Figure l is a sectionalview illustrating a .pier partly built; Fig. 2, a similar view illustrating a pier in a further stage of progress.

Fig. 3 is also a similar section showing a pier Y Ns retwand,nearly.completed according to my in vention.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section showingthe means which areemployed inthe building and setting of piers according to my invention. Fig. 5 is a plan ofone section of the Water-tight casing Withiu'which the stonework is laid.'

tiguresindicate corresponding' parts.

Similar letters of reference in the several In the building and, setting of piers for bridges and other structures inbeds of rivers or streams it has been found necessary i'n most instances to erectstationary colfer-dam`s at the points where the piers are .to be located. Ilhis operati-on requires a water-tight chamber to be constructed up from the bed ofthe river and then emptied of its waterby a pumping process before the building ot 'the pier can be proceeded with. The expenseaudinconven'- ience ofthis operation, as well as that of all other modes of building and setting piers Vin rivers, greatly enhance the cost of building bridges.

Wit-h my invention much of the inconvenience and expense thus incurred will be obviated, and a much firmer structure obtained.

Toenable others skilled in the art to perform with my invention, Iwill proceed to de scribe its construction and operation.

To construct piers for abridge across a river or stream,forin asolid foundation by first dri-v4 ing long /temporary pilesA A into the bed of the stream outside of a given space. These up above the surface as represented. Then either drive down, between and near about the long piles A A,other short piles,C C, or firmly enr `bed rock or other substantial material into the earth or river bed, as represented at D, and, if

more `broad and heavy stones or timbers, C',

vand embed the same'tirmly into the soil,so-

that they rest down upon the foundation and form a dat surface. Nefit construct a strong timber or other suitable character of platform, E, and bolt toits upper side one section o1' a hollow rectangular or other desirable form oi' box or tube, F F Ff Fill, which is used to incase and strengthen the pier, the said `tube bcing'composed ofaboiler-plate metal or other suitable material, and its lower section, F, having a boltingllangaa, on its lower edge, running inward at right angles to its sides, so as to bolt horizontally to the platform E, as represented. This platform and section of the tube are calked and pitched or cemented, so as to be Water-tightat botto-m and on all sides except at top, Where it is fully open7 as show n. The trst and several other sections of the tube should be strengthened laterally and longitudinally from sides and ends by means of strong rodsbb, as represented. The structure E F should now be tted toslide down over' the-sustaining and guide piles A A by cutting,

' vertical holes c, corresponding with the shape of the piles, through the lplatform E. The structure, when thus litted tothe piles and let down to the surface of the yvatendoats by reason of its buoyancy. The` upperj ends of thepiles are -now framed together with ties d d, so as to stand firm. The preparatory steps for building and setting the pier having thus been consummated, and additional sections F F'l F3 Fprovided, so as to be brought into use as required, the stone-mason commences to lay the solid pier within the Heating cofferdam, using for the purposecommon stone or other material deemed suitable, as shown in Fig. ll at G. .As soon as a suliicieut height of masonwork has been set in the section F, to cause t-he structure E and F to descend nearly level with the surface of the water, au-

other section, F', is bolted or'otherwise firm] fastened upon the top edge of section F, so'as to give the proper buoyancy and safety for continuing the work, as illustrated in Fig. l. This done, the mason proceeds further with his Work, and builds up the pier until it again becomes necessary to increase the buoyancy, when, as illustrated in Fig'. 2, he bolts on other sections, F2 F8 F4, of boiler-tubing, as showniul masonry ofthe pier.

Fig. 2, and proceeds with the building ofthe pier until the platform E and pier G rest down and become set upon the foundation, as shown inFig. 3. He now inishes the pier above water without usingr Aany more sections of tubing, and may, ifhe deems best, use {inecut stone or other finished material; or he may, if desirable, Continue the tubing to the .top of the pier, so as to obtain additional strength.

When the pier is completed, the pilesA A are sawed ott just abovey the top of the platform E, and their stumps, in connection with the weight of the pier, serve to prevent' lateral movement ofthe platform and pier on iis foundation. Y

A metal sectional boiler-plate tube has been described as the casing for the pier, because such tube possesses great strength at smallexpense .and will serve to bindv and'support the It, however, is obvious that a fioating water-tight cofier-dam, operating on the principle described, might be made of Wood or other material than boiler-plate metal, and vwhen the pier is finished the doating cot'fer-dam may `be removed from around it, leavingthe pier wholly uncovered from qbase to top.

The removed structure may be used in erecting other piers, if desirable.

I have given a minute description of means i'or carrying out my invention;` but I do not wish to be confined to those means, but desire to be protected in the principle of operation embodied in a floating Cotter-dam, substantiallyas described, for building and setting "piers for bridges'and otherstrnctures.

3. 'The guide piles A A, in 'combination with a Afloating coffer-darn, substantially as l.1nd for the purpose set forth.

Vitness my hand and seal in the mutter of my application for Letters Patent on im proved inode of' building and setting piers for bridges andother structures.

' JOHN DU BOIS.

Witnesses:

RIOBT. W. FENWICK, DE WITT C. LAWRENCE. 

